Businesses are increasingly dependent on information technology. Information systems are becoming increasingly more complex, higher-powered, inter-connected. and openly accessible to partners and customers over vastly distributed networks. The business environment has increasingly shifted from face-to-face interactions to largely anonymous electronic transactions. Software development itself is becoming more distributed through offshore development arrangements and intra-company collaborative computing. These trends strain the ability of organizations to secure and protect digital data from misuse or unauthorized access. The security threats and risks involved in the use of these computer technologies may prove to be an economic liability to any individual or in any organization that must rely on the technology to achieve personal and business goals.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.